I have a request for a wedding cake for next weekend that will include a 1-3/4" wide fondant ribbon boarder on each layer of the cake.
Generally I do know how to do this, but I was hoping anyone could trow some tips my way in regards to the following:

The cake will be iced in buttercream...what is the BEST way to roll this onto the cake without damaging the buttercream layer below?

Also, some of the strips will be over 50" long (wow & UGH)...when you roll the fondant up to apply it to the cake, what is the BEST way to keep it from sticking to itsself?
Do you have better luck with...Cornstarch? Powder Sugar?
Then, what is the best way to remove all the white without an extreme "shine" to the cake from wetting the fondant? I can never get the white powder off with just brushing so I thought maybe I was using the wrong stuff. (Or it could just be me! LOL

The fondant will be BLACK!

Besides the black fondant, all the piping work will be Kelly Green...not looking forward to a total white BC background with the potential for a mistake with those colors...Oh the stress!

Thanks everyone!

Mix a little tylose into your ribbon fondant so it's firm and not too stretchy. (You'll have to let it rest for a couple of hours before the tylose takes effect. Do it the day before if you can.)

Cut a strip of wax paper the same length as your ribbon but narrower. Lay it on the ribbon before you roll it up.

Pipe a few dots of royal icing where the ribbon will go and unroll the ribbon VERY lightly over the dots. If the ribbon goes on wonky, you can pull it off and reposition it. When it's perfect, press it firmly against the cake.

I personally prefer cornstarch to powdered sugar for rolling fondant/gumpaste. Corn starch is SLIPPERY which is why it works so well. It doesn't dry out the fondant like powdered sugar can. That said, if I'm making fondant decorations for cookies or cupcakes (where there's a lot of fondant compared to cake), I'll use powdered sugar because it tastes better than corn starch.

ETA:
You can rub the corn starch off the fondant before you roll it up. Just the heat from your hand should be enough. If it's not, rub a little shortening on the fondant. It will look greasy at first, but will eventually soak in and disappear.

Good luck!

Great tip about the wax paper...

Should I ribbon the tiers before stacking? or after? The only one I did was after and when putting the fondant on I gouged the bc on the next layer below.

I normally stack before I decorate as I always seem to fudge up the bottom edge when stacking BC and I don't want to take that chance with fondant.

Ribbon AFTER stacking for the precise reason you mentioned. You don't want to risk schmutzing up the bc AND the fondant. Your fondant ribbon can help cover any imperfections.

Have you tried popping your tiers into the freezer for about 20 minutes before stacking? I find it really helps cut down on the marks and smears in the bc. Also, if your bc is frozen firm enough, you can actually touch the side of the cake with your hand. I've done this to finesse a tier into the correct position. Risky, but possible! Of course, you don't want to freezer your tiers solid otherwise you'll be battling condensation for hours afterward.

If your fondant ribbon is firm and rolled up properly, you should have more control when placing it, cutting down on the gouging.

Jewels - thanks for posting this topic! very helpful! Diane - thanks for the tips!

You can also clean up the fondant by brushing it with vodka. It dries quickly and takes the cornstarch or powdered sugar with it.

Oh yay yay yay! Thank you, Diane, for the wax paper tip. How very clever!!!!